Empathize and Define - Curso Design Thinking

Description

This week’s assignment is about developing empathy for someone who has a stake in the school-to-work transition, and defining a problem or need (*) he/she has related to the challenge.

 

The work for this week’s assignment is divided in four sequential steps:

 

1. Prepare for the empathy work.

2. Go out and talk to people.

3. Process the data gathered via interviews using an Empathy Map.

4. Craft a problem statement.

 

(*) Note that we often use the terms PROBLEM or NEED interchangeably. With both, we are referring to some aspect of the experience of a person that can be improved (this problem/need may not always be perceived or articulated by that person, that is, it may be implicit).

 

Step 1. Prepare for the empathy work.

 

Start by determinining who you might interview (a student, a graduate, an employer, etc.) and think of questions or areas of conversation for the interview. It is strongly suggested that you interview more than one person (2-3), to then select one interview to move forward.

 

If you need inspiration to think about who to interview and what questions to ask, go to the EMPATHY FORUM, and look for the CHALLENGE MINDMAP thread.

 

Step 2. Go out and talk to people.

 

If this is the first time you will be interviewing someone, don't worry! This is NOT the typical formal interview that often comes to mind. Think of it more as a conversation. Your goal is to find out as much as you can about the other person's experience related to the school-to-work transition. Explore what his/her experiences have been in the past, how he/she felt during key events (for instance, job interview, first day of work, etc.), what aspects were enjoyable and which ones could be improved. Explore the practical aspects of the experience, but don’t stop there, and also inquire about the emotional aspects of it.

 

A suggested time for each interview is 10-30 min.

 

Who should you interview? The easiest is to ask an acquaintance, friend or relative who has (or had) some stake in the challenge. You can also go out in your neighborhood or to a university or school, and find people who are willing to have a conversation with you about this (explain that you are working on a class project, and you will be surprised how many people will be happy to talk to you).

 

For more resources on how to conduct good interviews, visit the Toolkit: Empathize and Define page.

 

Step 3. Process the data gathered in the interview using an Empathy Map.

 

If you did more than one interview, select ONE of those interviews at this point to move forward.

 

In order to process the data you gathered in that interview you will create an Empathy Map for that person. The guidelines in the “Toolkit: Empathize and Define” page will help you create a good empathy map.  

 

Step 4. Craft a problem statement.

 

Your job in this step is to narrow down the initial challenge to a more actionable problem based on the data gathered in the interview.  Your Problem Statement will have the following components: a STAKEHOLDER (PERSON), a PROBLEM/NEED and an INSIGHT.

Again, you will find more instructions to craft a good problem statement in “Toolkit: Empathize and Define” page. « Less

Special Instructions

You need to submit both the EMPATHY MAP and PROBLEM STATEMENT in one assignment.

** Please note that this assignment has PEER REVIEW, so the progress bar for it will only stay at 50% when you submit, and that's OK. AFTER the deadline, we will explain how the peer review works and, as you complete that part, the bar for this assignment will go to 100%**

The format to submit this assignment can be:

1. Powerpoint (ppt or pptx file) - NOTE: it can be more than one slide.

2. pdf - - NOTE: it can be more than one page.

3. Prezi

4. text/images in the text box.

For (1) and (2) you’ll need to upload to slideshare (*) or other hosting service (see submission instructions).

In all cases you will use the “media” button and paste the appropriate link  ***for WIDTH you may use 500*** 

(*) Note: Slideshare accepts the following formats (you can use any of those as alternatives to ppt or pdf):

Presentations: pdf, ppt, pps, pptx, ppsx, pot, potx (Powerpoint); odp (OpenOffice) 
Documents: pdf, doc, docx, rtf (MSOffice); odt, ods(OpenOffice) 

Templates  

We created a template of Empathy Map + Problem Statement you may use, adapt, or take as inspiration to create your own. Feel free to be creative, and use images as well (… More »

Action Items

1. Submit your assignment by Aug 6th 02:59.
2. Read the evaluation criteria and rubrics.
3. Evaluate your peers' work between Aug 6th and Aug 12th.
4. Review your assignment feedback after Aug 12th.
5. View all submissions after Aug 6th 02:59.